Marcus Smart recently signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing that team a level of experience and backcourt expertise that they need. But before he agreed to terms with them, multiple other squads were looking at Smart.

Heat Eyeing Warriors’ NBA Champion Defensive Guard After Marcus Smart-Lakers News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Miami Heat have continued to strike out on key free agents throughout the 2025 NBA offseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to straddle the fence between building for a future with Luka Dončić and trying to win now with a core of Dončić and LeBron James. Also caught in the middle is 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht.

All Marcus Smart knew was playoff intensity in his first nine NBA seasons. Smart made the playoffs every year since getting drafted by the Celtics in 2014, so there was intimate knowledge about what the postseason is like from all angles.

One of the reasons veteran guard Marcus Smart decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers instead of one of the other teams that wanted him was Luka Doncic. Doncic reportedly communicated with Smart and made it clear he wanted Smart to come to Los Angeles,